TKD & low back problems

[IcemanSK]

Throughout my TKD career, I've heard stories & read articles about the fact we TKD folks are prone to low back pain due to all the kicking. In the past few years, I've started to have trouble with my low back. Has anyone else found this to be true for themselves?

 

[Kacey]

I haven't - it's my knees I have problems with... I'm getting too old for jump kicks! I have known a few TKD practitioners with back/neck problems, but almost all of them pinpointed the injury to some other activity - skiing, car accident, genetic propensity (one of my students has a ruptured disc in his neck at exact same location as his father and the same age his father ruptured his - and it ruptured while he was skiing), things like that - they may have exacerbated the injury in TKD, but the initial problem usually occurred elsewhere.

 

[Shuto]

Well, there are a lot of people with back aches who do not do TKD or any other martial art so I'm not sure that you have a direct correlation here.

For me, Taijutsu has helped my already existing back problems. There was an almost immediate relief which I feel is due to the twisting motion we use but there has been an additional improvement after time which I attribute to strengthening core muscles. It seems that getting slammed down on the mat also helps... I'm serious.

 

[terryl965]

Lower back hurts knee's hurt and I still love my Art but both back and knee's could use the help if I could keep the extra wieght off of them.

 

[TKDmel]

Iceman, Ihurt my back doing something else but I've been strengthening it at the gym so its no problem anymore. Maybe this might help you too.

 

[IcemanSK]

Iceman, Ihurt my back doing something else but I've been strengthening it at the gym so its no problem anymore. Maybe this might help you too.

Thanks Mel! I try to keep strong core muscles, but it's still an issue. My chiropractor thinks it may in part be due to having cerebral palsy on one side of my body. The imbalance may be putting a strain on the other side.

In referrence to getting hurt doing other things, that does sem to be case. My students come in banged up from so many more things than TKD.

 

[Xue Sheng]

A lower back injury ended my TKD training all together but the injury was completely unrelated to TKD training.

 

[zDom]

Solution: abdominal/core strengthening.

Situps/crunches strengthen abs which means the job of keeping your body erect is no longer shifted so much to your back (good posture also helps).

Also, each situp/crunch gently stretches those back muscles.

Lots and lots of situps/crunches, leg lifts, leg circles ...

As in, no fewer than 100 per day. Better yet is 300-400.

I've heard of two older (40s, 50s) martial art masters who reportedly corrected lower back problems (one so bad he was told needed surgery) with high repetition abdominal exercise.

 

[fireman00]

I have lower back issues thanks to a job I had when I was young... I let it go too long and I wound up with chronic pain that manifested itself when I started TKD and I started eating upwards of 12 Advil a day. I started with physical therapy when it got really bad and learned that strengthening my core muscles would help with the pain. leg lifts, situps and crunches (with your legs bent to start off with) are the best. After a couple of weeks do the excersises with your legs bent at a 45 degree angle then in a couple more weeks your legs should be straight out.

Good luck!

 

[bluemtn]

I haven't - it's my knees I have problems with... I'm getting too old for jump kicks! I have known a few TKD practitioners with back/neck problems.

Thankfully, not many jumping/ flying kicks are required where I go- so knee problems aren't too much of a concern. However, I do have an old injury from back in the day when I did quite a few of them, and landed wrong and twisted one... OUCH!

I've noticed that my muscles in my lower back have felt the workout, though, but nothing that caused concern. It felt like how your legs do after maintaining a stance for a while, but this would occur close to the end of our warm- ups/ basics, and wouldn't happen often.

 

[blackxpress]

I hurt my back real bad waterskiing last July 4th. My Wado training was very difficult after that. In fact, I could barely get around. I went to a Chiropractor who is also a Tai Chi instructor. Between him and my Sensei I was able to completely rehabilitate my back injury and am fine now. It took a long time though. The key was lots of stretching. Be careful to warm up real good before you train and always, always, always take time to stretch at the end of your workout. Also, it helps to do a lot of walking, especially right after a workout. Drink lots of water too. Finally, the other thing that helped me was lots of slow 4 count kick exercises. I started out by holding onto a stretching bar so I could be very careful to lift my leg just high enough to gain flexibility without lifting it too high and reinjuring my back. Gradually worked my way up to where I could let go of the bar. The side effect of all this was that today my kicks are better and stronger than ever and so is my balance.

 

[Logan]

I would be careful in entering a regime of sit-ups/crunches or whatever with an injury. Many cases of lower back pain are the result of muscle imbalances between the front stomach muscles and the back - this could be cramps or just a constant nagging pain.

If you have an injured/sore back, go to a physio - don't think you or your peers know best. Get a qualified opinion because it's your health you risk.

As for taekwondo related injuries, proper kicking would help strengthen/stretch the supporting muscles. If you are healthy enough, lots of repetitions of stomach exercises can help strengthen your core but make sure you attribute equal training to the back as well as the front.

 

[KEritano]

A few key elements to help prevent lower back isssues.

• Stretch the hamstrings. Tight hammies pull on the lower back muscles.
• Strong core muscles. When the core is strong, the rest of the body will follow.
• Use a knee spring when landing. Jumping is fine, it's the landing that causes the damage.

TKD is a hard-style, so its nature is hard on one's joints. Proper stretching, strength training, techniques and rest helps.

 

[Kacey]

A few key elements to help prevent lower back isssues.

• Stretch the hamstrings. Tight hammies pull on the lower back muscles.
• Strong core muscles. When the core is strong, the rest of the body will follow.
• Use a knee spring when landing. Jumping is fine, it's the landing that causes the damage.

TKD is a hard-style, so its nature is hard on one's joints. Proper stretching, strength training, techniques and rest helps.

Indeed!

And hey - welcome! It's nice to see you here. Have you posted in Meet & Greet yet?

 

[Miles]

I have not had any back problems due to TKD. My knees are still pretty good though I get some minor pain every once in a while.

We "cool down" with ab work. Crunches and reverse crunches and then we do "scissors." I found as I mature (40 is not old Scott W!) that I have to maintain a pretty good regiment of squats and crunches.

Miles

 

[zDom]

I have not had any back problems due to TKD. My knees are still pretty good though I get some minor pain every once in a while.

We "cool down" with ab work. Crunches and reverse crunches and then we do "scissors." I found as I mature (40 is not old Scott W!) that I have to maintain a pretty good regiment of squats and crunches.

Miles

Hey now! I didn't say OLD.. I said older I turn 40 this month, btw.

So older as in "older than we wish we were"

 

[bluemtn]

I think a part of my problem is that the more I "advance", the harder I work out/ push myself. This usually causes more sore muscles until I get used to it, and they don't bother me any more.

 

[Miles]

Hey now! I didn't say OLD.. I said older I turn 40 this month, btw.

So older as in "older than we wish we were"

My mistake! Yes, "youth is wasted on the young."

Miles

 

[matt.m]

You know Zdom is on the money. I have three bad vertebrae and a little curvature. However do back bridges and crunches, leg lifts, leg circles, go slow, slow, slow at the beginning.

 

[IcemanSK]

I do between 200-400 reps of ab work 3-6 days a week & still struggle with back problems. There was even a time when I did 500 reps a day & ran 5 miles 6 days a week & still had problems. I don't mean to gripe, a lot of folks have it worse than I do. Heck, I can still hold my own. But, it is really annoying. I guess I'll need to start CaneMasters soon.:ultracool

Thanks for your support, folk!